Hand portable container



Jan. 27, 1970 P, G. GlRA-UDET E m. 3,491,913

' HAND PORTABLE CONTAINER Filed July 15. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P. J. G. GIRAUDET ETAL 3,491,913

HAND PORTABLE CONTAINER Jan. 21,1976

Filed July 15, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet FIG.2

United States Patent US. Cl. 220-42 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hand portable container is provided with passages contained in a side wall of a hollow body to receive portions of strap means in closed loop formation so that lower and upper portions of the strap means respectively traverse the base of the body and are available for carrying the container.

The present invention relates to hand portable containers and, more particularly, those in which the body of the container has at least one handle.

Already known are containers comprising handles fixed to their sides. These containers do not generally present a very aesthetic appearance, for the handles and their methods of fixing form reliefs on the bodies of the containers. In addition, with such positioning of the handles, the body of the container is stressed by the weight of its contents when being carried which increases the risks of damage to the container and prevents the use of light weight materials having low stress resistance.

The main object of the present invention is to palliate the above-mentioned drawbacks of known containers.

The present invention provides a hand portable container of moulded material, comprising an open-topped hollow body having a side wall traversed by passages entirely contained within said wall and opening into the upper and lower surfaces of said body; and strap means in closed loop formation including side portions traversing said passages, a lower portion traversing the base of said body and an upper portion forming a carrying handle.

By means of the invention the stresses produced by the weight of the body and its contents during carriage are taken by the strap means and are distributed over the surfaces of the body which contact the strap means with the result that the body experiences substantially nothing more than compression stresses. The invention also enables a container to be provided of an aesthetic appearance.

In one preferred form of the invention, the body has a transverse section which is substantially rectangular in shape and four passages each located in the vicinity of one of the angles of the rectangle. The strap means may include a single strap in a closed loop formation having two lower portions traversing the base of the body and two upper portions forming a carrying handle. The strap may be in the form of a flattened tube, a thin strip or a flat band.

The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view from above of a container of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below of the container of FIG. 1.

The contaner of FIGS. 1 and 2 is of moulded material and comprises a body 1, strap means in the form of a single strap 2 and a lid 3. The body 1 has a horizontal transverse cross-section which is substantially rectangular with lateral outer faces 4 curving outwards for extra strength. A cavity 5 in the body 1 defines a side wall 6 3,491,913 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 which is thicker at the angles of the rectangle. In these angles are arranged respectively four passages 7 contained within the side wall 6 along the whole height of the latter and open into the upper and lower surfaces of the body 1. These passages 7 are successively traversed by portions of the strap 2 which forms a closed loop and includes two handles 8. In the lower part of the container (FIG. 2) portions of the strap 2 between pairs of passages 7 contact the lower surface 9 of the body of the container, which lower surface is concave between said passages to facilitate stacking a number of containers.

The lid 3 comprises a shoulder 10 whose shape corresponds to the section of the space 5 and permits the fixing of the lid on the body 1 by push-fitting. On its circumference the lid 3 is provided with four cut-outs 11 each aligned with a passage 7 and permitting the free passage of the strap 2.

To facilitate the removal of the lid 3 from the body 1 of the container the said body is provided in the area of its upper surface with two chamfers 12 which permit manual action on the lower surface of the said lid.

The body 1 may be made of expanded polystyrene and the lid 3 can also be made of this material.

We claim:

1. A hand portable container of moulded material, comprising:

an open-topped hollow body having a side wall traversed from top to bottom by passages entirely contained within said wall and opening into the upper and lower surfaces of said body; and

strap means in closed loop formation including side portions traversing said passages, a lower portion traversing the lower surface of said body and an upper portion forming a carrying handle.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said body has a horizontal transverse cross-section which is substantially polygonal in shape with each passage located in the vicinity of one of the angles of the polygon.

3. A container according to claim 1, including a lid having a portion adapted to be push-fitted into said body and having a peripheral flange resting on the top edge of the side wall, said flange having cut-outs aligned with said passages.

4. A container according to claim 1, wherein said body is made from expanded polystyrene.

5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the outer faces of said side wall are curved outwards.

6. A hand portable container of moulded material, comprising:

an open-topped hollow body having a horizontal transverse cross section which is substantially rectangular in shape and having a side wall traversed from top to bottom by four passages contained within said wall, each passage being located in the vicinity of one of the angles of the rectangle and opening into the upper and lower surfaces of said body; and

strap means in closed loop formation including side portions traversing said passages, a lower portion traversing the lower surface of said body and an upper portion forming a carrying handle.

7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the strap means includes a single strap in a closed loop formation having two lower portions traversing the lower surface of said body and two upper portions forming a carrying handle.

8. A container according to claim 6, wherein the cavity in said body is substantially oval in horizontal transverse cross-section.

9. A container according to claim 6, wherein the lower surface of said body is concave between the lower ends of said passages.

3 4 10. A container according to claim 6, including a lid 2,899,103 8/1959 Ebert 220'94 having a portion adapted to be push-fitted into said body 2 903 314 9 1959 Greer 2Q6 1 X and having a peripheral flange resting on the top edge of 3 155 264 11/1964 Shook 2O6 1 X t g gg y sald flange havmg Cut 011 s ahgned Wlth Sal 3,225983 12/1965 Majka 220 9 X 11. A container according to claim 6, wherein said body is made from expanded polystyrene. GEORGE LOWRANCE Pflmafy Examiner References Cited JAMES R. GARRETT, Asslstant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 U.S. Cl. X.R. 2,613,847 10/1952 Lacher 220-94 220-9, 94

2,741,420 4/1956 Bodard 22952 

